VIII - Acknowledge The Client's Effort
Recently I visited a client who had a heightened state of anxiety and was very frustrated with their technology. As I sat down in a chair next to them, I opened the conversation with my usual, “Let’s take a look at the issue you’re encountering.”
My client not only showed me the error they were getting, but also showed me a schematic drawing they made of the cable connections to and from the device, AND a multiple-page printout of all the troubleshooting steps they took in trying to fix the issue. During their explanation, about 45 seconds in, they mentioned a key bit of information that I realized was the cause of their issue. I had an important decision to make. I could stop my client in mid-sentence and say:
I got it. I know how to fix your problem. Let me take a crack at it.
…or I could let my client continue sharing all their troubleshooting steps, and respond with:
[Frist Name], you have done an extensive amount of troubleshooting with this issue! I can totally understand how frustrated you must feel about this. Let me take a crack at an idea that occurred to me while you were sharing.
I opted for the latter response. Sure enough, my solution worked immediately. My client was at a loss for words, but they were sure-as-sugar pleased with my fixing their problem in quick fashion. To continue de-escalating their stressful situation, instead of immediately leaving, we chatted about other less-aggravating tech issues they were having and I offered other solutions for them to consider. Frosting on the tech support cupcake.
I believe it is important for a Tech Support Professional (TSP) to always honor their clients. One way of demonstrating this is by letting a client speak without cutting them off… and praising them for the troubleshooting efforts they make. Some customers want to fix situations themselves, and need to show the great lengths they’ve gone to before contacting me, as evidenced by my recent client consultation. It’s not because the customer likes to hear their own voice, it may be that they don’t want to appear naive, even in a difficult, ever-changing realm like technology. Perhaps.
Fun fact: I do not like being interrupted or cut off when I am speaking. It’s triggering to me, and I find it disrespectful. In some cases, after about the third time I’ve been interrupted by a person, I will hold up one finger (my index finger, not another finger you might be thinking of), raise my voice and say, “Let me finish.” I could reference the Golden Rule, but I won’t. I’ve learned in my Relational Technologist role that when I let my client speak, they share helpful information with me, and those “conversational cards” reveal more helpful hints that often solidify my solution for them.